How to receive and use your tickets

1. Step 1

   Check the event details

   Confirm the event, the city, the venue, the date and the ticket category before you add tickets to your cart.

2. Step 2

   Allow for date changes

   Sports fixtures in particular can be moved by leagues and broadcasters. Where you can, choose flexible travel arrangements. See event date changes.

3. Step 3

   Verify names and contact details

   Make sure the names of the people attending, and your email address and phone number, are correct and match any identity documents they will carry.

4. Step 4

   Check your phone and email access

   Many tickets are delivered to a phone or by email. Make sure you will have a compatible smartphone and access to your inbox while travelling.

Placing an order is a request. Your order is confirmed only when the ticket supplier has confirmed the booking and we have told you so.

1. Step 1

   Find your order

   Your orders are listed in My orders. Each order page shows the payment status and the fulfilment status separately.

2. Step 2

   Read our emails

   A message that we have received your order is not a confirmation. Look for the message that tells you your order is confirmed, and for later messages with delivery instructions.

3. Step 3

   Allow time for confirmation

   The supplier has to check availability and secure the tickets, which can take time, especially for popular events.

Tickets are often released by organizers only shortly before the event, so delivery can happen close to the event date, sometimes in the final days. This is normal and does not mean something has gone wrong. See late delivery.

• Check your order status in My orders.
• Check your spam, junk and promotions folders for messages about your tickets.
• Keep the inbox for the email address used for the order accessible until the event.

1. Step 1

   Download the file

   Open the delivery message or link and download the ticket file as soon as it is available.

2. Step 2

   Save it offline

   Save a copy on your phone so you can open it without an internet connection.

3. Step 3

   Print only if required

   Print the ticket only if the order instructions or the venue require a paper copy.

4. Step 4

   Protect the barcode

   Never share or post the barcode. The first scan is usually the only valid one, and a copy used by someone else can stop you getting in.

Each ticket is for one person and one entry. Do not use the same ticket twice or make copies. See ticket duplication.

1. Step 1

   Follow the transfer invitation

   Mobile tickets often arrive as a transfer invitation by email or text message. Open it using the official link it contains.

2. Step 2

   Use the correct email address

   If you need to create an account to receive the tickets, use the exact email address the transfer was sent to.

3. Step 3

   Accept the transfer

   Accept the transfer promptly. Some invitations expire if they are not accepted.

4. Step 4

   Add to your wallet

   Add the ticket to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet when the ticket supports it.

Read more about transfer requirements and mobile wallets.

Some tickets can only be used through the official application of a club, league, venue or ticketing company.

1. Step 1

   Install the official app

   Download it only from the official app store listing named in your order instructions.

2. Step 2

   Register with the same email

   Create your account using the same email address the tickets will be transferred to.

3. Step 3

   Verify your account

   Complete any email or phone verification the app asks for, well before the event.

4. Step 4

   Find your tickets

   After the transfer, check that the tickets appear in the app under your account.

See app registration for the rules that apply.

When an order is delivered as physical tickets, the order instructions will say how and where you receive them.

1. Step 1

   Hotel delivery

   Give the correct hotel name and address, the name of the guest the booking is under, and your check-in and check-out dates.

2. Step 2

   At reception

   Ask reception for an envelope in the guest's name. Bring identification, as the hotel may ask for it.

3. Step 3

   Local collection

   If your tickets are to be collected locally, go to the place and time stated in your order instructions and bring the identification they ask for.

4. Step 4

   Return reusable cards

   Some tickets are loaded on reusable membership cards. If your order instructions ask you to return the card after the event, follow them.

Details are in hotel delivery and local collection.

• Your phone is fully charged, and you carry a power bank if you can.
• Your tickets open offline, in your wallet, the official app or a saved file.
• You carry the identity document the venue or the order instructions require.
• You plan to arrive early, as security checks and queues take time.
• You know which gate or entrance your tickets are for.
• You have checked the venue's rules on bags, items and behaviour.
• You have checked any home and away supporter rules for your section.

See identity documents, venue rules and supporter restrictions.

Some tickets supplied through the secondary market show the name of the original ticket holder rather than yours. For many events this is normal and the ticket is used as supplied.

Follow the instructions given for your order. If they tell you how to enter with a ticket in another name, use them exactly. Acceptance depends on the organizer and the type of ticket, and is not the same for every event. See named tickets.

• Check your inbox, spam and junk folders, and any app account the tickets may be sent to.
• Check in My orders whether your order is confirmed and whether the delivery window has started.
• Confirm that the email address and account details you gave us are correct.
• Contact us using the details in the panel at the end of this page, quoting your order reference.

1. Step 1

   Stay at the venue

   Do not leave the venue area. Many problems can be solved on the spot by venue staff or by the supplier.

2. Step 2

   Record the error

   Where it is allowed, take a photo or screenshot of the error message or the rejected ticket.

3. Step 3

   Keep proof of your attempt

   Note the time, the gate and the names of any staff you spoke to.

4. Step 4

   Contact us immediately

   Contact us straight away using the details in the panel at the end of this page and say that it is urgent.

See what to do when a ticket does not work.

Postponed

The event is moved to a new date. In most cases your tickets remain valid for the new date.

Cancelled

The event will not take place. Your order becomes eligible for a refund review under the applicable terms.

What you can claim depends on the situation. Read our Cancellation and Refund Policy for details, including postponed events and cancelled events.

• Never publish photos of your barcode or ticket.
• Never forward your tickets to people you do not know.
• Accept transfers only through the official links in your delivery instructions.
• Be wary of phishing messages that imitate us, a club or a ticket app.

Including this information helps us act quickly:

• Your order reference
• The event, date and venue
• The name of the attendee concerned
• The email address the tickets were delivered to
• A screenshot of any error message
• If it is urgent, where you are now and the local time

Have a question that is not covered here? See our frequently asked questions.